A fixed bridge connection across Lake Siljan had long been on the Sollerö residents' wish list. The road connection between Sollerö church and Gesunda shack was built in 1879–1893.
They started by driving stones to the planned road bank on a small scale. In 1887, the stone-driving started in earnest. Financing was a key issue that needed to be resolved. A government grant of SEK 33,000 was the base plate. Then followed four
assessments where each agricultural property and person on Sollerön between 16 and 60 years paid SEK 1 and 27 öre which gave SEK 11,470. A large part of Sollerön's population worked more or less sporadically with road construction.
During the years 1890–1892, 15,800 loads of stone and gravel filling were driven at a cost of SEK 4,369 (28 öre per load). Each load was at least 0.566 cubic meters. When the road bank here to Lerön was completed, the naval bridge between Lerön and
the mainland. The naval bridge was opened to traffic in the autumn of 1892 and a speed limit was introduced. The reason was that the bridge could be damaged if the horse-drawn carriage drove faster than the pedestrians. The bridge was built so that it could be opened to boat traffic. The total costs were SEK 53,294. The road bank was later built with a few decimetres to cope with high water levels at the spring rivers.
Skinnar Karin Andersson was employed in 1892 as a bridge keeper and lived in a small log cabin here on Lerön. At certain times, she had to open and close the bridge several times a day. The bridge was opened by an ingenious game where the raft was moved
out of the bridge and lay down next to the bridge so that the boat could pass. It was floating boats that picked up timber at Ryssån's outlet, brick boats and large coal barges that were towed by a small steamboat. The captain of the command bridge always paid tribute to Skinnar Karin. Her job also included keeping the naval bridge clean. The horse traffic was lively and the horses
left much behind.
The bridge to the mainland meant that there was speed here on Lerön. A saw powered by a steam engine was built. Jobs arose. Skinnar Karin ran a small café in her bridge keeper's cottage where she sold buns and lemonade during the summer.
During the winter, for natural reasons, there was no boat traffic, but as soon as the ice rose, the floating boats arrived.
Later in the spring, the buffering with animals to the summer cottages began and it continued until Sollerön was almost empty of people. The buffer load was filled with necessities and with many children who were looking forward to lemonade and wheat bun in Skinnar Karin's café.
A few years after the saw had started, a boat factory was started adjacent to the saw. Professional craftsmen started the production of a boat type that was completely new to Siljan. It was the so-called Pettersson boats that
at the beginning of the century, construction began in Roslagen. Long and narrow boats with two inboard engines of 3-6 hp. The top speed was 6-7 knots! The boats became very popular as leisure and pleasure boats. They were seaworthy and withstood high
lake.
After about 10 years, however, the sawmill was closed down and a few years later also the boat factory. The probable cause was financial problems. The factory was demolished and the timber was later used in the construction of the Russian Alliance Chapel. Time passed and the old naval bridge had run out of time. In the winter of 1933, a new bridge - "Nybruni" - began to be built. With horse and cart were driven stone and filling material for anchors and foundations. Divers prepared the lake bottom for stone chests and piling.
Drivers picked up ready-mixed concrete, drove out on the ice, up on the raft bridge and emptied the concrete into the stone chests. It was not easy to have the old naval bridge as a workplace and turnaround. The traffic would also arrive. The bridge was provided with traffic signals because it was single-lane.
"Nybruni" was replaced in 1997 by the bridge - Soldbruni - which today connects Sollerön and Gesunda. The bridge is divided into three spans, runs in a slight turn, has a length of 197 m and a sail-free height of 5 m. On September 10, 1997, the inauguration took place in front of about 500 locals, the steamship Engelbrekt and many small boats.
Here on Lerön there is a harbor with lively traffic of leisure boats. On the north side of Lerön is Sollerö IF's rowing section boathouse for church boats and competition boats. Over the years, Sollerön has trained several Swedish champions and Olympic rowers.
Lerön is located in the middle of an archipelago (archipelago) with about 20 wooded uninhabited islands. A wonderful recreation area for boating and recreational fishing. It is claimed that it sucks well both in summer and winter. With a canoe or boat, you can do several beautiful beach trips. In summer, nature offers enjoyable sunsets.
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